(Press-News.org) Researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre discovered a protein switch which can trigger a cascade of events leading to heart failure, pointing to a new direction for drug development.
“Our research suggests that PINK1 is an important switch that sets off a
cascade of events affecting heart cell metabolism,” says Dr. Phyllis Billia,
principal author, clinician‑scientist and heart failure specialist at the
Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. “This could be one of the inciting events in the
development of heart failure.”
The findings, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that the absence of a certain protein, PINK1, causes heart cells to produce less energy. This lack of energy causes some heart cells to die, forcing the remaining cells to work harder to keep the heart going. In response to this stress, the heart muscle cells thicken, a condition known as hypertrophy.
Heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization in North American adults, and over 50,000 are treated for advanced heart failure annually. Transplantation is the only long-term treatment for end-stage heart failure patients and the long wait times for a matching donor organ make it necessary to find other alternatives.
"Heart Failure remains a silent epidemic in North America, except for those who suffer from this devastating disease. Current therapies, while effective, only target the symptoms of heart failure," says Dr. Vivek Rao, co-author of the study and Surgical Director of the Heart Transplant Program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. "The discovery of PINK-1's role in the development of heart failure may lead to novel treatment to prevent heart failure in those at risk. This discovery represents a novel and as yet, untapped mechanism to fight the battle against heart failure."
In the lab, researchers "knocked-out" or genetically removed the PINK1 gene in mice and studied their heart cells under the microscope. They found that although the hearts initially develop normally, they begin to fail after two months, suggesting that PINK1 isn't required for organ development; rather it is crucial for protecting against heart failure.
Until now, research into the PINK1 gene has focused on its links to early-onset Parkinson's disease and certain cancers including esophageal and endometrial. This is the first study to establish its connection to heart disease.
While more research is required to develop potential clinical treatments, this discovery represents a new way of thinking about the involvement of certain proteins in the progression of heart failure.
"We need to learn more about PINK1 and the other proteins it interacts with at the sub-cellular level," says Dr. Billia. "But if we've identified the inciting event that causes the chain of events leading to failure, research and drug development strategies should be focused in this new area of science."
###
Dr. Billia conducted this research in the cell metabolism laboratory of Dr. Tak Mak, Director of the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital. Dr. Mak is internationally renowned for his important breakthroughs in immunology and our understanding of cancer at the molecular level.
The research published today was financially supported by grants from the Canadian Institute of Health Research.
About The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre
The Peter Munk Cardiac Centre is the premier cardiac centre in Canada. Since it opened in 1997, the Centre has saved and improved the lives of cardiac and vascular patients from around the world. Each year, approximately 17,000 patients receive innovative and compassionate care from multidisciplinary teams in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, and the Centre trains more cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons than any hospital in Canada. The Centre is based at the Toronto General Hospital and the Toronto Western Hospital - members of University Health Network, which also includes Princess Margaret Hospital. All three sites are research hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information please visit www.petermunkcardiaccentre.ca
Heart scientists discover protein that may be 1 cause of heart failure
2011-05-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New resource developed to encourage undergraduate research experiences
2011-05-24
NEW YORK – College educators around the nation who are discovering the unique value of research experiences for undergraduate students now have a new tool available to them – a "program in a box" detailing exactly how such experiences can be created, used and implemented.
This resource, which is free, will be introduced tomorrow in New York City by the National Center for Women and Information Technology, as part of their annual summit conference. It will soon be available online at http://bit.ly/mAcvYe, and was supported in part by the National Science Foundation.
"Hands-on ...
Penn research overturns theory on how children learn their first words
2011-05-24
PHILADELPHIA — New research by a team of University of Pennsylvania psychologists is helping to overturn the dominant theory of how children learn their first words, suggesting that it occurs more in moments of insight than gradually through repeated exposure.
The research was conducted by postdoctoral fellow Tamara Nicol Medina and professors John Trueswell, and Lila Gleitman, all of the Department of Psychology in Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and the University's Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, and Jesse Snedeker, a professor at Harvard University.
Their ...
Information overload in drug side effect labeling
2011-05-24
INDIANAPOLIS – The lists of potential side effects that accompany prescription drugs have ballooned in size, averaging 70 reactions per drug, a number that can overwhelm physicians trying to select suitable treatments for their patients, according to a new study of drug labels.
Long lists of drug side effects—whether found in magazine advertisements or in package inserts—are a familiar sight to patients and doctors. Now researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine have quantified just how complex drug labels have become.
In ...
States should be allowed to implement key health reform law provisions early, experts say
2011-05-24
NEW YORK, May 23, 2011—More than eight of 10 leaders in health and health care policy (82%) believe states should be allowed to implement key provisions of the Affordable Care Act early with full federal support, ahead of the timeline outlined in the law. Such key provisions include expanding Medicaid eligibility to cover more low-income families and creating insurance exchanges with premium subsidies. Findings are from the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, which asked respondents about the relative authority states and the federal ...
Used football faceshields are susceptible to breaking on impact
2011-05-24
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Game-worn football faceshields are more susceptible to breaking when subjected to high-velocity impact than are new faceshields, according to recent research.
In the study, researchers used an air cannon to hurl baseballs at new and used polycarbonate faceshields. All of the new shields withstood the strongest impact tested, which was designed to match the force of a kick to the face. More than a third of the game-worn faceshields fractured in response to the testing, which included lower forces of impact as well.
In a related survey of college football ...
New nanoscale imaging may lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis
2011-05-24
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Laboratory studies by chemical engineers at UC Santa Barbara may lead to new experimental methods for early detection and diagnosis –– and to possible treatments –– for pathological tissues that are precursors to multiple sclerosis and similar diseases.
Achieving a new method of nanoscopic imaging, the scientific team studied the myelin sheath, the membrane surrounding nerves that is compromised in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ...
Antibody-guided drug works against acute lymphoblastic leukemia
2011-05-24
HOUSTON — An antibody packaged with a potent chemotherapy drug to selectively destroy acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells eradicated or greatly reduced the disease for 61 percent of 46 patients in a phase II study. It will be presented at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago June 3-7.
Patients enrolled in the trial led by investigators at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center had ALL that resisted other therapies or recurred after treatment.
"A response rate of more than 50 percent in this patient population ...
Study links acetaminophen to lower prostate cancer risk
2011-05-24
ATLANTA – May 23, 2011 – A new study from American Cancer Society researchers finds use of 30 tablets a month or more of acetaminophen for five or more years was associated with an estimated 38% lower risk of prostate cancer. The study appears in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention and is one of only two studies of prostate cancer to date that have examined the association with acetaminophen use that was both long-term and regular.
Use of aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly long-term use, has been associated with modestly ...
Cover crop seeder pulls triple duty for small farms
2011-05-24
Farmers using a cover crop seeder developed by Penn State agricultural scientists may eventually need only a single trip across the field to accomplish what takes most farmers three passes and several pieces of equipment to do.
Pennsylvania farmers are increasingly interested in growing cover crops, but the time, cost and late fall harvest of corn and other crops often limit their use, said Gregory Roth, professor of agronomy.
The seeder can help farmers, especially small operations, save time and money by condensing multiple tasks into one trip through a no-till field. ...
New genetic testing technology for IVF embryos
2011-05-24
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have devised a new technique, which helps couples that are affected by or are carriers of genetic diseases have in vitro fertilized babies free of both the disease in question and other chromosomal abnormalities. The results were reported in the April issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Because embryos are so small and cells contain too little DNA to do extensive testing, researchers have in the past had to limit genetic testing of IVF embryos to either looking for a specific gene mutation that is known to exist ...